Grand Duchy of Lithuania

The Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Lithuanian: Lietuvos Did?ioji Kunigaik?tyst?, Belarusian: ???????? ???????? ?????????? (???), Ukrainian: ?????? ?????????? ????????? (???), Polish: Wielkie Ksi?stwo Litewskie) was an Eastern European state of the 12th - 18th centuries. Founded by pagan, Baltic Lithuanians in the second half of the 12th century it soon overpassed the confines of the traditional area of Lithuanian settlement, acquiring large parts of former Kievan Rus. In this way it covered the territory of present-day Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Transnistria and parts of Poland and Russia during the period of its greatest extent in the 15th century. In the Union of Krewo in 1386, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania made a personal union with the Kingdom of Poland. Since the Lublin Union in 1569, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign State of Federation of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (having separate government, laws, army and treasury) until the annexation of the Federation by Imperial Russia, Prussia and Austria causing the partitioning of the state in 1795.

History

The Grand Duchy of Lithuania began its rise to great power status under the reign of the king Mindaugas (or Mindo?h in Belarusian) beginning in 1238. The duchy expanded both south and west, incorporating large quantities of former Rus lands in both directions. Expansion reached its height under Gediminas (Belarusian language: Hiedzimin) who created a strong central government and succeed in creating and empire that spread from the Black to the Baltic sea. The ease with which Lithuania built up an empire can be accredited to the diplomatic and tactical skill of Lithuanian grand dukes as well as to the Mongols and their weakening of all the Rus lands. Lithuania was in an ideal position to take advantage of the weakness of the other Eastern Slavs. While almost every other state around it had been pillaged or defeated by the Mongols, the hordes never reached as far north as Lithuania and its territory was left untouched. Lithuania's expansion was also accelerated because of the weak control the Mongols had over the areas they had conquered. (Ruthenia was never incorporated directly into the Golden Horde. Instead, it was always a vassal state with a fair degree of independence.) The rise of Lithuania occurred at the ideal time when they could expand while meeting very little Ruthenian resistance and only limited opposition from the Mongols.

Related Topics:
Mindaugas - Belarusian - 1238 - Rus - Gediminas - Black - Baltic - Mongol - Eastern Slavs - Golden Horde

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The Lithuanian Empire was not one built upon military aggression. The Grand Duchy's existence always depended upon diplomacy just as much as upon arms. Most cities it annexed were never defeated in battle but agreed to be vassals of Lithuania. Since most of them were already vassals of the Golden Horde or of Muscovy this decision was not one of giving up independence but rather of exchanging one master for another. This can be seen in the case of Novgorod, it was often brought into the Lithuanian sphere of influence and became an occasional dependency of Lithuania, but Lithuanian armies never attacked the city. Rather Lithuanian control was the result of internal factions within the city looking to escape domination by Muscovy. This method of empire building was, however, quite unstable. Changing internal politics within a city would often see it pull out of Lithuania's control, as happened on a number of occasions with Novgorod and other Rus cities.

Related Topics:
Muscovy - Novgorod

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